Today’s lesson is about gerunds. We’ll cover the definition, uses, and examples to help you understand them better. By the end, you’ll know how to use gerunds in different situations.
To download this lesson in PDF form, go to the bottom of this page.
WHAT IS A GERUND?
(Verbal noun)
A gerund is a verb that functions as a known.
For Example
- Playing
- Reading
- Drinking
We all know that verb is an action (the verb is what we do)
For instance: if I say; I read the newspaper every morning. In this sentence, we are using a simple verb, “read”. But sometimes we just talk about actions we don’t do. For instance: I love reading. Here we just talked about action without doing it. We used a word that looks like a verb as a noun.
Identify a Gerund
Base form + ing = gerund
For Example;
Read +ing = reading
- Here “reading” is working as a gerund.
Confusion:
This looks a lot like a continuous form of the verb. So, for recognizing a gerund, you need to pay attention to how it is used in a sentence.
Let’s have an example to sharp our concepts.
“I absolutely love singing but performing in public makes me really nervous, standing on a stage in front of a crowd of people is terrifying “.
When and How To Use a Gerund??
As a noun, a gerund can be used in various situations, like:
- As a subject in a sentence or phrase
- As an object in a sentence or phrase
- After preposition
- With fixed expressions
- After another verb
Gerunds used as subjects in a sentence or phrase
- Eating fruits and vegetables is important for a healthy diet.
- Studying gerunds doesn’t have to be frustrating.
Gerunds are used as an object in sentences.
Like, love, enjoy, prefer, dislike, hate. These are some words that can be followed by a gerund.
For Example:
- She really enjoys taking pictures of the sunset.
- I prefer buying meat from my local butcher.
Gerunds used after a preposition
There are certain prepositions that are followed by a gerund, let’s learn about them.
On, at, behind, under, in, without.
Here are some examples to make this concept clear.
- She walked out of the room without saying a word
- There is no point in taking your jacket. It’s really hot outside.
Gerunds used after common expressions
There are some expressions that are followed by gerunds.
For Example. Can’t help, can’t stand, it’s no use, (to be) worth
- I can’t help being a perfectionist.
- It’s not worth spending so much money.
Gerunds used after another verb
Verb+gerund
For example:
- I’ll never forget driving along the coast of Scilly. It was truly stunning.
